1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the creation of a virtual hand representing new 3-D haptic interface for virtual environments. Moreover, the invention relates to the provision of a method and arrangement applicable to computer systems for creating a virtual environment, which facilitates a user to touch, feel, edit, and interact with data, either alone, or collaboratively with other users.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
In presently known state-of-the art 3-D and computer graphics systems, a user may generally interact with the computer-generated environment by visually utilizing standard interfaces, for instance, such as a mouse or joystick, whereby the ability to feel or touch the environment is limited in scope. A data glove can be employed to roughly track coarse hand positions, and to provide a projection thereof it in a 3-D space, however, the user cannot feel or touch the environment. A limited degree of touch sensitivity can be added by imparting small piezoelectric stimulations to the user's hand, but the usefulness of this interface is limited to collision detection and very coarse or basic graphical object sampling. More recently, haptic interfaces have been introduced which facilitate a feedback when probing a virtual object with a single point of contact (e.g., Phantom), and by integrating this capability into a robot arm this has resulted in a greater range for exploration (e.g., Virtuose). Nevertheless, in all these systems, the interface to the computer-graphics world is very limited, inasmuch as the user does not possess the sense of touching a real object, feeling its texture, judging or modifying its surface, moving or shaping the 3-D object, or responding tactilly to an object that is thrown at the user.
Among various publications, which are concerned with similar aspects of the technology, the following are deemed to be of interest in the provision of haptic interface arrangements and methods.
Hayward, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,336,266 B, disclose haptic devices employable with diverse computer and video interface-user devices.
Shih, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,259,761 B2, disclose systems and methods employed by a user for manipulation of tools sculpting virtual objects in a haptic virtual reality environment.
Nojima, et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0057973 A1, disclose a smart tool for real-time measurement of changing environment and displays to a user and generating haptic sensations thereof.
Kyung, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,339,574 B2, pertains to a haptic mouse interface system adapted to provide force and tactile feedbacks to a user's fingers and arm.
Havey, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,308,314 B2, disclose a sensory substitution device, employed for vision prosthesis, or low-vision enhancement by using thermal sensing.
Roberts, et al., U.S. Patent Publications No. 2003/0117371 A1, pertains to the scanning of tactile graphic displays for localized sensory stimulation.
However, none of the above-reference publications have any significant bearing on the novelty and advantages which are attendant to the present invention.
A commonly assigned co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/047,771, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, introduced the concept of using an array of pins, which is controlled by microactuators to transduce the data values associated with a computer-generated surface in a manner letting the user to a) sense the surface and its constraints; and b) control and edit the shape of that surface. In that interface, the array of pin is attached to a platform that allows the user to control the viewing angle of the surface. This, however, is not a Virtual Hand since it does not allow the user to move his/her hand around the space using six (6) degrees of freedom, or to react in response to a moving object.
According to the present invention, there are provided distinct advances over the current state-of-the-technology, by enabling a user to move his or her hand around a space in six (6) degrees of freedom, or to be able to react to a moving object.